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American Morning

Baby Abby Found Safe; Violent Day in Iraq; Los Angeles Woman Discovers She's African Princess

Aired September 20, 2006 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Lavandera in Union, Missouri.
The search for Baby Abby is over. She is safe. Now authorities try to figure out why a woman tried to -- why a woman abducted her.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Arwa Damon in Baghdad.

A new judge walks in, the defense team walks out and the defendant is evicted from court -- just another day in the Saddam Hussein trial.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Also, some UFOs outside the Space Shuttle Atlantis, keeping the crew in space for an extra day, at least.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And a royal journey of discovery for one young woman who is, it turns out, a princess, and much, much more to one African village. She's going to share her amazing story with us here on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Welcome back, everybody.

I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's talk about the happy homecoming in Missouri. Baby Abby finally back with her mom this morning. In an interview right here on AMERICAN MORNING we learned that, in fact, the suspect is now expected to be charged with kidnapping and first degree assault.

CNN's Ed Lavandera live in Union, Missouri with more details -- good morning to you, Ed.

LAVANDERA: Good morning, Soledad.

Well, Baby Abby in the arms of her family this morning. And after several days of what was just, quite frankly, a terrible ordeal for them, the family is just relieved that it is all over.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Twelve-day-old Abigale Woods is back with her mother this morning. Doctors say she's in very good health. The family is thanking everyone for their help and their prayers through this ordeal.

SHEILA WOODS, BABY ABBY'S GRANDMOTHER: Just thanks everybody for praying for my granddaughter to come home and thank god that she did and she's safe.

RUTH BURLAGE, BABY ABBY'S GREAT-GRANDMOTHER: I want to thank everybody that's helped my family and prayed for all of us and all their prayers, it helped. It helped.

LAVANDERA: Shannon Beck, the suspect in the kidnapping, is now in custody. She's expected to be in court later this morning. Police say Beck suffered a full-term miscarriage on the same day as the kidnapping and allegedly took Baby Abby to pass off as her own.

The ruse was uncovered by Beck's sister-in-law, who noticed a birthmark on the baby's head. It had been covered with makeup. But as soon as that makeup was makeup was wiped away, Dorothy Torrez noticed the same mark police had highlighted in their pleas for help.

SHERIFF GARY TOELKE, FRANKLIN COUNTY, MISSOURI: All the leads that we had were good leads. But it just took one out of the ordinary that helped. But getting the information out obviously was extremely important. It worked. And we had a happy outcome because of it.

LAVANDERA: All this played out just a few miles from Baby Abby's home, the same home where her mother's throat was slit just five days earlier, but now a happy homecoming.

BURLAGE: My heart just burst open. I'm just so happy and overwhelmed, it's fantastic.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LAVANDERA: The family had put a sign announcing "it's a girl" in the front yard and the grandfather of Baby Abby told us a short while ago that this is one piece of advice for people out there, is to not advertise the arrival of a newborn.

So for people expecting new babies, perhaps something to -- some advice to take under consideration from this family here this morning -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, you know, you really think about it, you wouldn't have thought of it before, but that's true. If someone notices that and they're not right in the head, they can certainly do something with that.

Ed Lavandera for us this morning.

Thanks, Ed -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: The crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, six of them, won't be coming home this morning. That was supposed to be the plan. Instead, they're spending a lot of time in space right now, taking a careful look once again at the shuttle's fragile heat shield. And every time they look, they seem to find more potential mysteries.

We just heard that in the process of poring over that heat shield, they found three more objects floating in close proximity to the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

There you go, one, two and three. Unclear what those are. Maybe a fourth there. Unclear what those are. It could be ice, it could be little pieces of harmless debris. The worst case scenario, it could be parts of the heat shield and that is why NASA is concerned.

This all began yesterday with another piece of debris which caught everybody's attention. Take a look at this picture as NASA conducts a live briefing, which we're monitoring for you.

We can show you the picture from yesterday, that first piece of debris that got people concerned.

As you can see there, it's a black piece. Unclear how big it is. There's nothing to compare it to, so mission managers just aren't sure. Not enough resolution for them, really, to figure out what it is. But as you know, there are many black tiles on the shuttle, so that, of course, got people's attention.

And then, a little bit later in the day, yet another piece of debris is discovered nearby. It kind of looked like a little baggie.

Let's listen to the mission managers for a moment as they talk to reporters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... bits and pieces of things floating out. A lot of times it's ice. A lot of times it's a little piece of lint. It's amazing how something in bright sunlight can look much bigger than it really is. So it's -- it's very hard to identify what those little things might be.

I would say it's not a particularly uncommon thing when you're concentrating cameras in sunlight, looking out on the payload bay and looking outside to see small objects floating away.

QUESTION: A follow-up, if I may.

Steve, are there any other anomalies that you're working outside of, clearly, the examination of the shuttle and its thermal protection system? Any other issues that you're working today?

STEVE: No. The shuttle continues to perform briefly in terms of the system. So the plan for today, we'll go ahead and complete the inspections on the exterior of the vehicle. If we don't see anything anomalous, the mission management team will meet today at 9:00. And I fully expect, if the vehicle -- if we find no problems with the TPS, then we'll let the orbiter land tomorrow.

Just to add to what Paul said about the debris objects, typically, you know, when we open payload bay doors on the first day of the flight, we will see objects that perhaps were left there during processing come out of the payload bay. It is a little bit unusual to see objects maybe this late in the mission.

Atlantis did go through OMM before this mission, orbital major mod. And so it had been down for a while, a lot of processing at the Kennedy Space Center.

We did do an FCS check out, our flight control system check out, yesterday. That does put quite a bit of vibration on the vehicle. A lot of crews come back and report that when we go check that flight control system to make sure that the hydraulics will bypass if we get a bad command, what we're testing is that the system will work if we get a bad, erroneous command out and when our ports on the actuator pop, the crew does report after missions that that does vibrate the vehicle and that does -- they can feel that in the crew cabin, even though those actuators are back on the wing.

So, you know, we are shaking the vehicle up and, perhaps, you know, after FCS check out, we knocked a few things out of the payload bay.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, we'll let the briefing continue.

But here's the bottom line you need to take away from this. Objects in proximity of the shuttle, as he points out, are not unusual. The key is where those objects are coming from.

If they happen to be stray pieces that were in the payload bay, pieces of bags, tools, whatever the case may be, little pieces that were jammed up in between those heat shield tiles, no problem. If it is, in fact, anything that is a piece of the heat shield, that is a problem.

So far, NASA has given us no indication that that heat shield is posing any problem whatsoever.

We're watching it for you.

No end in sight for the violence in Iraq, meanwhile. Thirty-five bodies discovered in Baghdad in just the past 24 hours. And this morning, a truck bombing and mortar attack also in Baghdad.

Arwa Damon live now from the capital city with more -- Arwa.

DAMON: Good morning, Miles.

That's right, there were a number of attacks across the capital today, as you just mentioned. The first attack happening at 7:00 in the morning when a mortar exploded in a northeastern Baghdad neighborhood, close to that Shia stronghold of Sadr City. Four Iraqi civilians were wounded in that attack. And an hour later, a suicide truck bomber detonating at the entrance to an Iraqi police base in southeastern Baghdad. That's the neighborhood of El Dora. It's a fairly mixed neighborhood, both Sunni and Shia.

In that attack, at least four Iraqi police officers were killed, 11 more people wounded, eight of those police officers, and 35 more bodies found. There have been at least, in the last week, over 200 -- about 227, actually -- bodies that have been found just in Baghdad alone. And as the number of bodies that are found, as the sectarian killings continue to increase, this fuels the fear, the instability that a lot of Iraqis are feeling. A lot of them saying that right now they feel as though they have lost all hope -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Arwa, let's talk about the Saddam Hussein trial. Yet another day of high drama there. Tell us about it.

DAMON: That's right, Miles. And it all started because of an Iraqi government decision to replace the old judge, whom they said could no longer be impartial, that he was favoring the defense and the defendants in this court.

He was actually replaced by his deputy. And at that stage, the defense team read out a statement, walked out of court. Saddam Hussein stood up, began aggressively pointing at the new judge, began shouting at him.

The judge ordered Saddam Hussein to sit down. Saddam Hussein refused and that resulted in even more courtroom antics.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Sit down. The court has decided to send the defendant, Saddam Hussein, to expel the defendant, Salah Hadeed (ph). Your father was an officer in the security. He was the one who had -- I challenge you to take him out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAMON: The judge was quick to establish his authority in the courtroom, though, evicting Saddam Hussein and promptly bringing in a court-appointed defense team. And then witnesses were brought to stand and the trial did proceed as expected -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon in Baghdad.

Thank you very much -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, Thailand is under martial law this morning after the prime minister was removed from power in a bloodless coup. Tanks and soldiers lining the streets of Bangkok. The head of Thailand's military declared himself the new leader, promised he's going to return power to the people soon.

Now, the country's prime minister, who was in New York to address the U.N. at the time of the coup, says no, he's still in charge.

In Hungary, another night of violent protests. Angry crowds calling for the resignation of that country's president. Riot police hit the protesters with teargas, water cannons. The crowd was threatening to move in on the Socialist Party's headquarters in Budapest. All this coming after the prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany, admitted that he lied about the state of his country's economy. Despite the admission, he is refusing to step down.

Let's get a check of the forecast.

Chad's got that at the CNN Center for us -- good morning.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, dueling speeches from President Bush and the Iranian president, Ahmadinejad, at the U.N. yesterday.

So who came out on top?

CNN's Aneesh Raman was there -- Aneesh.

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Diplomacy certainly didn't come out on top. If you thought a day of speeches at the U.N. might bring an end to the nuclear dispute, this morning you're a bit disappointed. All the details coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: The president of Iran with a defiant speech before the United Nations general assembly. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offering a laundry list of criticisms of the U.S. and the U.N. itself. And he insists his country is not building nuclear weapons.

CNN's Aneesh Raman was there and is here now -- Aneesh, not a huge surprise with this speech, but it's interesting, he's been saying the same thing all along. So much more attention this year as opposed to last year, when he was brand new.

RAMAN: Yes, exactly.

Last year, no one really knew who he was. He came in as the newly elected president of Iran. No one knew we would get to where we are. Iran's president, no surprise, as you mentioned, remaining defiant on the nuclear issue, saying that Iran will not stop what it says is its right.

You notice there, the U.S. delegation, a lot of empty seats. Only a low level officer was there taking notes. The Israeli delegation completely void of any.

In his speech, though, he really talked about the oppressed people around the world and only once by name mentioned the United States and Britain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRAN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): The question needs to be asked, if the governments of the United States or the United Kingdom, who are permanent members of the Security Council, commit aggression, occupation and violation of international law, which of the organs of the U.N. can take them to account? Can a Council in which they are privileged members address their violations?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAMAN: Now, this is and has been the Iranian strategy. When I was there, officials, as well, any time you ask them about their actions, they say look at the U.S. When it's about Iraq and the suggestions Iran is destabilizing it, Iran says it's actually the U.S. that's destabilizing Iraq. And Ahmadinejad mentioned that in his speech.

And on the nuclear issue, the U.S. says Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon. His entire speech at the beginning was about how nuclear weapons are destroying diplomacy in the world.

M. O'BRIEN: So, when the U.N. starts talking about sanctions versus Iran, he says the U.N. is not handling things with justice in any way, shape or form.

It's interesting how he shifts.

RAMAN: Yes, he changes it. And he says the U.N. Security Council has no legitimacy because it doesn't chastise actions of the U.S. or Britain, which are member states, permanent member states. And instead has said that the U.N. Security Council can't do anything, that if the U.N. Security Council -- and we've heard this from Iranian officials before -- does take action against the country for its nuclear program, Iran has said it might kick out the IAEA inspectors that are there and pursue this program in secret.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, we saw the empty seats. A lot of that had to do with the fact that it was at the end of a long day there.

How -- is it hard to separate, you know, how much of it was just the end of the day and how much of it was protest?

RAMAN: It is a bit. I mean with the U.S. I think it was protest just by putting a low level officer there. When Khatami, with reformist Iranian president, spoke under Clinton, Clinton actually sat and listened to his speech.

The Israeli delegation, no surprise they didn't show up at all.

There was political theater all day yesterday. You've got to assume President Bush's aides were not happy that he was speaking on the same day as the Iranian president. It set this stage of one versus the other and it gave a lot more anticipation to what Iran's president was going to say.

But no huge surprise -- a passive tone. But he's given fodder to the European countries who want to keep sanctions at bay, keep confrontation away.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, did this move the debate forward in either direction at all yesterday? RAMAN: It didn't and that means that Iran politically, I think, won, in the sense that Iran could only have made things worse. It is a very difficult time for them right now. They are facing mounting pressure.

President Bush had high expectations and high hopes of really pushing the U.N. to take immediate action against Iran. It doesn't look like that's going to happen. Secretary Rice late last night had a dinner with permanent members of the Security Council. It doesn't look like sanctions are on the table. Instead, the Europeans are saying look, Iran's president is talking peace, he's talking about a civilian nuclear program. Let's figure out a way to resolve this diplomatically and outside of sanctions.

M. O'BRIEN: And back home in Iran, how is this being treated? How -- what do they know about this speech and how is he being perceived? Is this considered a strong moment for President Ahmadinejad?

RAMAN: You know, it's funny, among the average Iranians, they have sort of tuned out of this whole nuclear issue. They were rallying behind him when I was there a few months ago because of the nationalist pride. Iran was able to do this on this own -- on its own, this is our right.

The last time I was there a few weeks ago when they realized that this deadline has passed, that sanctions might be coming, they're resigned to the fact that they're observers. They're not active participants. They have to go where their leader takes them.

They want economic reform. They don't really care about international clout. They're not happy that millions are going to Lebanon to Hezbollah, that millions is going to Hamas, that Iran is spreading its influence. They want change at home.

So they're just going to wait. Sanctions, to them, not a big deal. They've endured them before. But they don't follow closely as Iran's president tries to get international clout. They just want more money in their pocket and they haven't gotten it yet.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Aneesh Raman, thanks for being with us this morning.

RAMAN: Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: And look for the president's reaction to the Iranian leader's speech this afternoon on "THE SITUATION ROOM." CNN's Wolf Blitzer with an exclusive interview with President Bush today. And you can see it at 5:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Anderson Cooper has got a look at what's coming up on his program tonight -- Anderson.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, tonight, record wildfires, the worst in nearly half a century. Millions of acres burning and the weather is not helping. We'll take you to where the flames are, with the brave people trying to stop them.

"360" on the fire lines, tonight, 10:00 p.m. Eastern -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, thanks, Anderson.

Coming up this morning, U.S. carmakers cutting jobs, closing plants.

So why are they still stuck in reverse when it's coming to profits?

AMERICAN MORNING'S Ali Velshi who joins us with a look at that.

And later this morning, a young woman tracks down her biological father and finds out she's royalty. Now, an entire village in Africa is counting on her. We'll tell you her story just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: A glut of unsold trucks and SUVs slowing production big time at domestically. The company says it's going to cut deliveries to dealers by 24 percent.

The news isn't much better these days at Ford or over at G.M.

So can the recent cost cutting measures actually help the giant U.S. carmakers survive?

Well, CNN's Ali Velshi joins us this morning -- good morning.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

I mean they've tried everything -- cost cutting, giving away cars free, deep discounts, zero financing. In the end, the carmakers know exactly what you know and you know and I know, that they have to go back to where they came from.

Now, that sounds harsh, but it might be the only solution for Detroit.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

VELSHI (voice-over): When Ford redesigned the iconic Mustang for the 2005 model year, it wasn't prepared for the reception it got. The company doubled its planned production and sold every last car. Classic American design sells.

So why doesn't Ford and G.M. for that matter, just make everything they build feel like this?

Well, one view is that U.S. automakers got too caught up chasing the success of smaller Asian cars. It's a fashion that didn't suit them.

REBECCA LINDLAND, GLOBAL INSIGHT: Not everybody looks good in a miniskirt. And they shouldn't wear them. And it's the same kind of thing where, you know, G.M. shouldn't be out there necessarily producing four cylinder, four door, bland looking vehicles.

VELSHI: Auto analyst Rebecca Lindland says when Detroit downsized its cars in the '80s, they lost their classic American styling.

LINDLAND: All the sharp head turning edges were sort of smoothed out. And you really, you know, you sort of went from rocky road to vanilla.

VELSHI: While passenger car sales were dropping, Detroit continued to succeed with trucks. But those reliable truck and SUV sales have dropped. You might say like a rock.

American carmakers are saddled with so-called legacy costs that their foreign competitors don't have -- financing benefits for hundreds of thousands of retirees. Back in 1962, G.M. had about one retiree for every 11 active workers. But after years of downsizing, G.M. today has 33 retirees for those same 11 workers.

(on camera): This Chevy Impala is the best-selling American brand passenger car in the United States. It costs about the same money as this Toyota Camry, which is the best-selling passenger car overall in the United States. But G.M.'s legacy costs add about $1,500 to the price of making this car and every other car that they make. That $1,500 could have gone toward upgrades, a few options, bells and whistles that might make this car more attractive to buyers.

(voice-over): Ford and G.M. are struggling to trim those legacy costs. But none of that matters to the folks who aren't buying American cars.

Carlos Ghosn should know. After turning both France's Renault and Japan's Nissan around, the boy wonder of the auto industry thinks he can fix G.M. too.

(on camera): Why is it the Japanese automakers can make more money in the United States and American-based automakers can't?

CARLOS GHOSN, CEO, NISSAN & RENAULT: Well, it's a good question. I can tell you why we are making money in the United States. The U.S. is still a very profitable market for a very simple reason -- it's the largest market based on one country.

In the United States, you have 16.9 million cars following the same country, the same regulation, the same everything.

VELSHI (voice-over): Easy money. All Detroit has to do is return to its roots.

LINDLAND: There's still, you know, there's 75 million baby boomers and there are certainly people that will never, ever buy a G.M. or a Ford. But there's plenty of people out there who never wanted to leave.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

VELSHI: So the answer is that while G.M. and Ford have these legacy costs and they're stuck with them, it's supply and demand. If they can cause people to want their cars, they can get that little bit of a premium and it can take care of all of their problems. They've just got to get behind the idea of the...

S. O'BRIEN: They've got to go back to the beginning.

VELSHI: ... American dream.

S. O'BRIEN: Right.

VELSHI: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: And design something people want to buy...

VELSHI: Exactly.

S. O'BRIEN: It's, in a way, it's so hard and it's so simple.

VELSHI: It's so simple and so hard, that's right.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes.

All right, Ali Velshi, excellent report.

Thanks.

VELSHI: Thanks.

S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, a New You checkup. Yes, it's been a long time, right?

We're checking in again on our military couple, the Rampollas. Remember, they were all about the discipline, fitting healthy habits into their busy lives.

So nine months into the program, where does it stand? How are they doing?

We'll take a look.

And later, we'll tell you the story of a young woman adopted who seeks out her birth father. Not only does she find him, she discovered, oh, she's a princess. We'll tell you all that and much more ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Soledad O'Brien.

M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

S. O'BRIEN: Hey, Chad, did you ever see that movie "The Princess Diaries?" You know, the story, this American girl discovers she's not an ordinary teenager. No, in fact, she's actually princess from a far-away land, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I saw "Shawshank Redemption." That was last one I saw.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh.

MYERS: So probably no.

S. O'BRIEN: OK, well this story -- that story is not about "Shawshank Redemption." That story, that fairytale, actually happened in real life. The same thing happened to a young woman in West Virginia. Here's her story. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN (voice-over): Growing up with adoptive parents in West Virginia, Sarah Culberson always wondered about her biological roots. She found her birth mother died of cancer 12 years ago. Setting aside her fears of being rejected by her biological father, Sarah hired a private investigator to find him. She found him in Africa.

SARAH CULBERSON, SIERRA LEONE PRINCESS: I'm going to Africa. I'm going to meet my dad. And I don't know what to expect.

S. O'BRIEN: And it turns out her biological father is a chief of a small province in Sierra Leone in West Africa. So Sarah is a princess in the village of Bumpe. She could even be village chief someday. Sarah was thrilled. So was her father, who drove across dirt roads to the closest town with cell phone reception, to call her.

CULBERSON: This is amazing. Like overwhelming. I don't know what to do, you know?

S. O'BRIEN: Sarah's new title may be glamorous, but that's where it ends. The aspiring Los Angeles actress quickly learned that she is far richer than any of her 36,000 subjects. During Sierra Leone's 11- year civil war, the village was overrun by rebels, who allowed villagers to live, but cut their limbs so they couldn't fight back. The rebels destroyed homes and buildings, burned down the school where Sarah's father was headmaster.

And Sarah decided to help, creating a foundation for the struggling village. She's found a role of a lifetime. And when she last left Bumpe, they had found a new princess.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Sarah Culberson is our guest this morning. This is such a fantastic story.

CULBERSON: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Why did you feel the need to search out your birth parents? Was it something you wanted to do for a long time?

CULBERSON: Yes, it was. You know, I did this training and development program called Landmark Education. And I was...

S. O'BRIEN: As in acting, you mean?

CULBERSON: Yes, well, I went there for acting. I was like, I want to have a breakthrough in my acting. But something completely different showed up. I realized that I was terrified to find my biological father. So I was sitting there, and I they said, where are you holding back in your life? Tell the person sitting next to you. And I was sitting next to my friend Art and I said I'm terrified to find my biological father.

S. O'BRIEN: Because he might not want you, might reject you again, all that.

CULBERSON: Yes, I was afraid of being rejected. And he said, you know what, I know a private investigator who can help you and he won't charge you more than $100, and your dad is going to love you.

S. O'BRIEN: So you discovered that your mother died and you discovered that your father, not only was he in Africa, which would be enough of a shock anyway, but he's the chief, which makes you the princess. What was that like, that discovery?

CULBERSON: Overwhelming at first. But exciting and, OK, what does this mean and what is the responsibility here?

S. O'BRIEN: What did it mean? I mean, were you, like, OK, I'm a princess?

CULBERSON: For a while, I didn't know what it meant. Then I went to Africa and they had this amazing ceremony for me, and everyone was so gorgeous and so amazing. And then I just started to see what was going on there. I saw people with their arms chopped off.

S. O'BRIEN: A lot of scars, both on the outside and the inside, in this community.

CULBERSON: Oh, my gosh. And I said, OK, now I see what my role is as a princess. I need to do something. And so I started a nonprofit organization with my friend John Woehrle, who went and shot all this amazing footage. And we started a nonprofit called the Kposowa Foundation. And we're rebuilding the school through the funds that people are donating.

S. O'BRIEN: Tell me about what you saw that was there. The people had their limbs cut off, obviously, which is a story, frankly, sadly across Sierra Leone. And what else about the town? Tell me what you saw. What struck you?

CULBERSON: One of the things that struck me was how amazing the people are. They've been through so much tragedy, seeing people be murdered right in front of them. And they just rise above it. You know, I get upset about things, daily things. And after being there, I'm, like, why am I worried about anything? It's a whole other level. So I just saw perseverance, strength and people who need support to rebuild, because everything was taken from them.

S. O'BRIEN: How much money do you need to -- I mean, we mentioned you're a struggling actress, which means you're probably doing a lot of waitressing and some other stuff in there, too, along with your work.

CULBERSON: Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: How much money do you need?

CULBERSON: We need $200,000 to start with, to start rebuilding the school. And the amazing part of that is when people donate the money, it also goes to the people who are rebuilding, so the people in Africa get to actually -- get to feed their families because they're rebuilding the school.

S. O'BRIEN: We put the Web site up in case people listening to...

CULBERSON: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: ... want to contribute in any way, shape or form. I know you're going back to Africa with your adoptive father this time.

CULBERSON: Yes. This December, I'm taking my dad and we're actually looking to start rebuilding.

S. O'BRIEN: Now, your adoptive parents are white.

CULBERSON: Yes, yes, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: That's right? So how have they felt about discovering that they've got this link to Africa that they didn't know about, even when they had you as their adopted daughter?

CULBERSON: You know what? They're amazing. They've traveled all over the world and done work in different parts of the country. And so they're just -- they're excited and they're honored and they're so supportive and loving that this has been the most amazing journey of my life thus far.

S. O'BRIEN: And I know it was done, I guess in the beginning, to sort of figure out your acting. Has it made a change in that too?

CULBERSON: In my acting? I mean, this -- really, the story came out on Friday and it's been a whirlwind ever since. So we'll see what happens, you know?

S. O'BRIEN: Well, good for you. This is such a wonderful story. I guess I should have called your royal highness when I introduced you -- I'm so sorry. I am sorry. (CROSSTALK)

S. O'BRIEN: ... wrong introduction. Princess Sarah Culberson joining us this morning.

CULBERSON: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Sounds good, doesn't it? You like that.

And if you want more information, seriously, to help Sarah rebuild the school and even just donate on any front, go to bumpenya. I'll spell it out because it's a little tricky -- B-U-M-P -- bump -- enya -- E-N-Y-A -- one word -- dot com. Thanks for talking with us, Sarah.

CULBERSON: Thank you. Thanks for having me.

S. O'BRIEN: Good luck to you -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Nice to have royalty in the studio.

S. O'BRIEN: I know. I'm working on my bow, bowing, low bow.

M. O'BRIEN: I'm going to try a curtsy later. Coming up, a CNN exclusive, on the trail of the E. coli outbreak. An exclusive look inside the government's nerve center as they try to track deadly bacteria.

Plus, a "New You" checkup. Today that couple that was too busy to eat well. We'll see if the Rampollas are staying true to their military discipline, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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M. O'BRIEN: They say old habits are hard to break, but what about new heart-healthy ones?

S. O'BRIEN: This morning, we're going to see if the power of pairs is helping that military couple from Washington State make their New You Resolution stick. Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us with a checkup on the Rampollas. It's been quite a while since we checked in on the Rampollas.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's been about six months. That's the key, to figure out how they do after the cameras are turned off. Denise and Pedro Rampolla have two jobs, four boys, two dogs and a love of fast food. It's just convenient. Their New You goals were never about weight management, rather life management, and who couldn't use that. Also specifically budgeting time and money to eat better and exercise more.

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GUPTA (voice-over): Sundown in Cheyenne, and the Rampolla's day is far from over. When we met them nine months ago, they were eating way too much junk, not exercising. And with four boys and a family history of heart disease, they had to shape up. Eight weeks into New You Denise was down a dress size, and Pedro was eating more healthfully. But making new habits stick is harder still.

Today the Rampollas are better at balancing with working out.

DENISE RAMPOLLA, "NEW YOU" PARTICIPANT: He likes this too much.

GUPTA: Key to their success, twice weekly workouts with their trainer, Jason, who's focused on improving balance, a metaphor for their busy lives.

JASON HAMMOCK, TRAINER: They do excellent balance training. Their cardio level has actually gone through the roof just since I've started with them.

GUPTA: Pedro is also boosting cardiovascular fitness with interval training, and felt the payoff during his last physical fitness test.

PEDRO RAMPOLLA, "NEW YOU" PARTICIPANT: Within a half an hour, I was sitting there going, if I had to do this again, it wouldn't be a big deal.

GUPTA: The Rampollas' biggest challenge, eating right on a tight military budget. A new house with a bigger kitchen is helping them work as a team to prepare fresh and frugal meals.

D. RAMPOLLA: Give Roberto a small cheese piece, OK?

GUPTA: Tonight, homemade pizza with veggies and lean buffalo meat.

D. RAMPOLLA: For us, not only doing it as a pair, but we also had four other people involved in the process, because we were going to lead by example and do what we could do to change their lives, too.

GUPTA: For the Rampollas, it was also about discipline.

D. RAMPOLLA: For most military families, that's what you'll see, because they have so many different challenges. You have to just stick with it and you have to lean forward. When I said it wasn't going to be done halfheartedly, it wasn't going to be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: So for them, and for many families out there, the New You Resolution for them turns into a family affair. You've got to get everyone involved. I mean, I think that's the key that the Rampollas taught us. We talked about the power of pairs. They said we're going to get the whole family involved as well. They also blogged about their experiences, CNN.com/newyou, some interesting stuff there.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, last time we checked up on them, I recall them talking about going without fast food for, like, 16 days or something, which was a big deal for them. Have they done that? Have they surpassed that record? GUPTA: They've sort of wavered a bit. They've had to. You know, it's interesting, and I think this comes up a lot in a lot of our "New You" resolution people. They say they have to get fast food from time to time. The little one, Lorenzo, actually the 12-year-old, he talks about the fact that he was allergic to green for a while. He wouldn't eat salads at all.

M. O'BRIEN: No green.

GUPTA: No green. But actually he goes to McDonald's, and instead of ordering burgers and fries, they get things like salads, which is a good option.

M. O'BRIEN: That's good.

S. O'BRIEN: Have they found that because they're eating more healthily that, in fact, the food bill kind of goes up, because, you know, fresh produce is often much more expensive.

GUPTA: A real concern for Denise. She talked a lot about that. But for example, when she'll go to the store, if strawberries, for example, are really expensive and pears are on sale, she'll stock up on that. So just sort of switch up food groups in terms of what's the most affordable at any given time. So it's been a little bit steady, her food bill, a little bit increase, but not that much.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, well, so who's up next? Well, we know, by process of elimination.

GUPTA: Donna and Frank, our lobbyists. You remember, they're far apart politically, but as we learned, they came together in terms of "New You" goals, so we'll have that tomorrow.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, good. I love them. They're so much fun.

M. O'BRIEN: The smoky treat, is what I remember.

GUPTA: We'll talk about that tomorrow.

M. O'BRIEN: The smoky treat, as she called it.

S. O'BRIEN: Maybe she's ready to give up smoking this time around.

M. O'BRIEN: She wasn't going to do that, as I recall.

GUPTA: We'll keep that as a little surprise.

S. O'BRIEN: OK, all right. Tease, tease, you like that. Sanjay, thanks.

GUPTA: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, not everybody, sadly, is cutting back on fast food like burgers and fries. Ahead this morning, We'll tell you how your cell phone can you make fast food even faster. Andy's "Minding Your Business" with that story, coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

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(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

M. O'BRIEN: Top stories straight ahead. The Shuttle Atlantis is getting a thorough inspection this morning. The more they look, the more strange things they're finding up there. Another three objects floating around the shuttle. We'll tell you about the UFOs, ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's the hero. She's the one that made it happen. You know, we've asked for people with concern to report that. And that's -- she -- that's exactly what she did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Good police work pays off in Missouri, as Baby Abby is found, thanks to one woman's suspicious mind.

Also, a quiet neighborhood turned upside down after a grisly discovery. Now police are looking for clues, and a woman is dragged to her death.

M. O'BRIEN: Plus, a Canadian citizen wrongly accused of being a terror threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Ara (ph) was deported under our immigration laws. We were not responsible for his removal to Syria. I'm not aware that he was tortured.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: We'll get his side of the story, live this hour.

S. O'BRIEN: And let the Christmas crush begin. A whole new Elmo, extreme. Can you believe it? TMX.

That's ahead, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Oh, I have that in my office. I got to bring it up. That's hysterical.

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